Rockwool follows advice they give to others
Rehabilitation and energy optimization in Copenhagen follows a major energy rehabilitation of the group’s factory in Moss. Electricity costs have been reduced at the same time as the working environment is better with new sealed windows, well insulated facades and improved ventilation.
In the 3,448 m² head office in Hedehusene near Copenhagen, energy consumption has dropped by 64% from 185 to approx. 68 kWh/m²/year, Rockwool writes in a press release.
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Great cost reduction
– The renovation of the head office is not just a win for the environment. It also has a positive effect on the total costs of the building, says Frank Ove Larsen, CEO of Rockwool in the Nordics:
– Total price for the renovation is approx. DKK 23,000/m², while new builders are calculated at DKK 27–34,000/m². It is a significant cost reduction that can be felt, he comments on the press release.
Save 370 tons of CO₂ emissions
– Rehabilitating instead of building new fits like a glove with the company’s general focus on sustainability, circularity and recycling. Life cycle calculations show that approx. 370 tonnes of CO₂ by preserving and reusing the building’s basic structure, states the managing director.
– In many cases, “old”, outdated buildings are demolished to build new ones instead, but fortunately there is increased awareness of the benefits of refurbishing. The construction sector is responsible for approx. 29% of the total waste in Norway, says Larsen.
Lower emissions during rehabilitation
The results of Rockwool’s rehabilitation of the head office and the factory in Moss underpin the call to, among others, SINTEF that Norway should focus on rehabilitation rather than new construction. In a review the research foundation did in 2020 of life cycle analyzes for 120 different construction projects in Norway, it shows that it was the rehabilitation projects that managed to keep the emissions lowest.